Bonds Stronger Then Brotherhood
by Dysnomia Hybris
Summary: Dastan spies on Garsiv in the garden while his brother practices his marksmanship, and the bow gets the treatment that he so desires.


Title: Observational Yearning

Author: Dysnomia

Fandom: Prince of Persia (movie verse)

Pairing: Garsiv/Dastan

Rating: PG-13

Word Count: 1000

Summary: Dastan spies on Garsiv in the garden while his brother practices his marksmanship, and the bow gets the treatment that he so desires.

Notes: Written for pop_fanfiction challenge #19. The prompt was "Twang". There will be much more to come from this verse, I have a lot of love for these two, and even more love for the thought of them together.

Dastan grunted with effort as he struggled to find footholds on the castle wall. He edged closer to the top of the courtyard, finally able to reach the top of the wall, pulling himself up far enough to peer over into the courtyard below. Dastan grinned to himself at the sight that greeted him. He couldn't have chosen a better spot to watch from unless he was actually down there with Garsiv.

His brother was only a short distance away off to the side, concentrating on the bow in his hands. A quick glance at the other end of the courtyard showed Dastan that Garsiv had already been out here for awhile. The target was peppered with arrows, although very few were close to the bulls-eye. His brother might have incredible skill with a sword, but his archery was less then perfect. Which was why he was out here alone, in the private gardens attached to his room, instead of out in the training grounds with the other men.

Dastan however, wasn't about to give Garsiv the privacy that he sought. Sure, he'd give him the illusion of privacy, but the chance to observe his older brother was too tempting to give up. In the last half year, about the time he turned fifteen, he'd found his eyes straying to Garsiv at the most inappropriate moments. Like now for instance. The older boy was bare chested, the defined muscles of his chest and abdomen glistened with sweat under the hot desert sun.

It looked like Dastan had wasted more time then he'd hoped during his scaling of the wall. There were only a few more unused arrows at his side, and Garsiv grabbed one now, turning more towards Dastan in the process. The youngest prince ducked down quickly, until he was hanging by his fingertips, hoping he wouldn't be spotted. He wasn't in the mood to avoid Garsiv's fists and yelling were he to be caught spying.

He knew it was safe again when he heard the bow creak as the arrow was notched. Raising himself back up to his former position, Dastan had to hold back a gasp when he took in the sight his brother made. The bow was pulled back all the way, causing the muscles in Garsiv's arm to strain taut with the effort. He had the most intense look of concentration on his face, fierce brown eyes focused on the target. His arm didn't waver, was held steady, and Dastan watched as his brother took one last deep breath before letting the arrow fly.

The bowstring reverberated with a loud twang as it was released. He heard the arrow whistle through the air before burying itself with a thud in the wood across the garden. It wasn't until he noticed the look of grim satisfaction on Garsiv's face did Dastan turn his head away to take in the resting place of the arrow. It was so close that time, the tip of the arrow just at the edge of the bulls-eye. Spurred on by his near success, Garsiv was quick to shoot the few remaining arrows. Dastan's grin was even wider then his brother's at the result. All of the last arrows made it as close as the first one Dastan had been witness to.

With his bow still in hand, Garsiv turned and strode towards Dastan's hiding place. Eyes widening in alarm, he dropped back down again until he was out of view. He froze, trying to be as silent as possible, as Garsiv stopped almost directly beneath him. His brother let out a sigh, which was closely followed by the scrape of leather against stone. Once his panic subsided a bit, it occurred to Dastan that there was a reason Garsiv had chosen this spot. Beneath this was was the only shade the courtyard had to offer, of course this was where he would head to get out of the sun. Feeling brave, or possibly just foolish, he pulled himself up very slowly, just far enough to see his brother's dark head.

Garsiv still didn't seem to notice him, so he dared to edge even further, until he could see all of the older boy. His brother was leaning against the wall, one leg bent at the knee with his foot resting flat on the stone behind him. It wasn't his leg that really caught Dastan's eye however. No, it was his hands that now held Dastan rapt, his hands that narrowed his focus until the outside world disappeared. Those strong, long-fingered hands were stroking along the bow, caressing the wood with deceptively gentle motions.

Dastan swallowed, mouth going dry at the want that flared through his body as he stared, although there was an equal amount of hurt at the impossibility of the situation as well. It wasn't a large stretch for his minds-eye to conjure up the image of those tanned hands roaming his body in the same way. He shivered on his perch as he could all but feel Garsiv stroking over his sides, over his chest and down his arms. Dastan couldn't help the small moan that escaped his lips at the thought of those hands skimming even lower, touching him where no one else ever has. As soon as the slight sound slipped out, Dastan clamped his mouth shut in horror. He tightened his fingers on the stone beneath his hands until it bit painfully into his skin, bringing him fully back to reality.

Wide blue eyes gazed down at Garsiv in fear, but his brother hadn't seemed to have heard him. He was still moving his hands over the bow, none the wiser to Dastan's slip of control. Deciding he'd risked enough for today, Dastan moved cautiously away, climbing back towards his own room. What he missed when he was gone was Garsiv's quick glance up at the exact position he'd been perched at, and the wide smirk that crossed his face before he lowered the bow.


End file.
